The Rose Princess
by sarafu-chan
Summary: RyoSaku. Fantasy AU. Do not disturb her slumber. If the Rose Princess awakens, the world will fall into destruction. It's a race against time as Ryoma, Sakuno and the gang face numerous challenges to save Seigaku, and ultimately, the whole world.


**The Rose Princess**

RyoSaku. Fantasy AU. At the end of the seventh twilight, the journey shall end and none shall be left to Rose Princess will rise again and lay ruin in this World. Ryoma and his friends must find a way to stop her before it is too late. Even if it means killing a village girl by the name of Sakuno.

:-:-:-:

Wearing an antique blood-stained gown, the beautiful princess of destruction sits all alone in her dark, high house under the eyes of her decapitated enemies. She sighs and waits for the darkness to come, where she would feed on the fear and horror of the townspeople. It's a game of patience, and patient she would be. There can be no doubt about it; this girl is both death and the maiden.

"I might not live for long at this rate," she suddenly murmurs, standing up and looking at the rusty clock that towered the room. "Surely he would come. I must find a way to ensure that I would live on…"

Her hollow voice echoed like reverberations in a cave. Her face was impassive.

_Time is running out._

The majestic orange orb is now half-hidden by the red sky. She shakes, she trembles, her great eyes close beneath her finely veined, nervously fluttering eyelids. A sudden idea was forming inside her head. There were many consequences, and it might not even work. But it was her final card. There was no other choice.

_I would become human._

Outside, the heavy scent of red roses blew across the field. The Rose Princess would make her move.

:-:-:-:

_Heaven and Hell._

_Heaven calls forth eternal tranquillity. The God of power, the deities of peace, and the angels of life are beckoning Man._

_Hell calls forth never-ending chaos. The Devil of power, the demons of waste, and the reapers of death are beckoning Man._

_Heaven and Hell._

_Man, you are the beloved creature of Good and Evil. Light and Darkness dwell within you. You are the child of promise. You, whose mere existence is proof of your destiny, would be given nothing but bountiful blessings._

_The East, West, North and South of this World are in your hands._

_But if you do not find Me, I will come and destroy everything in your possession._

_At the first twilight, a sacrifice chosen by Heaven would be offered_

_At the second twilight, a sacrifice chosen by Hell would be offered_

_At the third twilight, the sun would be eaten_

_At the fourth twilight, the four pillars would crumble to dust_

_At the fifth twilight, the five mountains would bow before Me_

_At the sixth twilight, the Rose Princess shall ascend to her glorious throne_

_At the seventh twilight, the journey shall end and none shall be left to live_

_Man, abandon the foolish thought that you can escape the inevitable: This is the prophecy meant to be fulfilled in time._

_I am the Rose Princess._

_And you are m__an._

_Seek M__e as I continue with my slumber. Put Me to sleep for all eternity._

_I am the Rose Princess._

_And you are man._

:-:-:-:

"HOI! Echizen!"

Hurried footsteps. Then a pause.

"Echizen! Please! I beg of you! If you don't show up in the next meeting, I would be demoted to cleaning the horse stables again!"

No answer whatsoever.

Just. Peachy.

Horio Satoshi sighed in annoyance for the nth time that afternoon. Really, this was getting exhausting! When he heard that he was going to be assigned as Ryoma Echizen's page boy, he was at first skeptical. What he only knew at that time was that the boy was the same age as him and that he was hailed as a 'prodigy.' Become a page for this wonder boy? No way! But when Katchiro and Katsuo jumped in glee when they told him of his assigned position, he immediately understood that serving Echizen on the battlefield is a great honor.

"_He is called Samurai Junior," Kachiro's eyes were glinting like mad. "You know of Echizen Nanjiroh of course, don't you? I mean, he's like the greatest hero Seigaku has ever produced!"_

_Horio turned to the two, his forehead crumpled. "So? What's the big deal?"_

"_Haven't you made the connection?" Katsuo was now looking at his oblivious friend in astonishment. "Ryoma-kun is Nanjiroh's son! Plus, he is the youngest member of the High Court! That's really something, Horio-kun!"_

"_Eh?" Horio's eyes widened. "No kidding?!"_

The page boy continued walking, shoulders both slumped in resignation. He was beginning to seriously wonder if he just made the mistake of a lifetime. His two years experience of cleaning horses should have warned him that this Echizen is nothing but trouble. He then stopped for a while, but then motioned to open the door to his right slightly and looked inside. Who knows? His vigilant eyes might spot the troublesome Ponta-loving Ace hiding in that room!

He pushed the door wide enough to go inside, but he was caught in surprise when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Eep!" Horio violently squirmed as he turned around to face the mysterious figure. "Please don't kill me! I'm just a page boy! I'm in the lower hierarchy so spare me-"

"Horio-kun! It's us!" Horio stopped flailing wildly and opened his eyes to discover two of the most respected Aces duo in the land.

"A-AH!" The page boy was immediately down on his knees. "Forgive my rudeness! I- I didn't know!"

"Nya! It's okay Horio-kun!" Kikumaru Eiji chirped happily, his tail bobbing up and down in playfulness.

Horio simple nodded; he just cannot take his eyes away from the boy's flexible appendage. Even if he has worked for the castle for two whole years, he still can't get over the fact that a member from the Nekojin clan would gladly agree to work as an Ace for the kingdom. After all, it is a well-known fact that members of this feline clan are wildly independent and freedom-loving, so it is a surprise that Eiji was here in the first place.

Speaking of surprises, Shuichiro Oishibefriending Eiji is quite a feat since their personalities couldn't be any more different. Rumors had it that they were once rivals, but the Magician of the Moon (Oishi's nickname, as started by Eiji) astounded everyone when he managed to 'tame' Eiji and become his Ace partner.

Well, what would you expect from the mother of the Seigaku Aces?

"Ne, ne, ne, Horio-kun!" Before Horio could even have the time to blink, Eiji was already at his side. "You wanna know who is inside there nya?"

He was most probably referring to the room that he almost entered.

In a whisper, Eiji leaned down and said, "A court lady going by the name of Tachibana An is staying there~"

It took Horio at least ten seconds before his poor brain could process what the cat boy had just said. He took a step back, his face so red that one can easily make the mistake of assuming that a spell was cast on this unfortunate soul.

"Nyahahaha!" Eiji was clutching his stomach. How fun it is to tease people! No wonder Fujiko-chan liked doing these kinds of things on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Oishi was taking pity on Horio for being a victim of his friend's antics. Eiji meant no harm, of that he is sure, but can't he see that he's just making the poor boy embarrassed?

"I-I'm sorry!" Offering apologies seem to be Horio's agenda for the day. "I really am! I know how inappropriate things would've been and I swear, I'm not a pervert, I was just looking for-"

"Don't sweat it, nya!' Eiji finished for him, finally filling up his amusement meter. "We know you're not that kind of guy! Plus, Lady Tachibana just arrived an hour ago, and I'm sure only the castle maids know where her room is nya."

_Lady Tachibana… _

_She sounds important, but where have I heard her name before I wonder?_

Sensing Horio's confusion, Oishi took this opportunity to give a proper explanation. "You know about that independent Fudomine village just south of Seigaku's borders?"

"The one near Infinity Valley?" Boy, was Horio glad that he was paying attention to his geography lessons.

"Yup, that's it," Oishi's tone then grew more serious. "As it turns out, a group of villagers picked a fight with some Ace from Hyoutei and it soon turned, er, _unpleasant_."

_Yikes!_

"There was a fight inside Hyoutei's territory and when things got ugly, some of the villagers from Fudomine burned a wheat field situated in Hyoutei's land. Now, Hyoutei's King Atobe is a man of righteousness, but sometimes his ego cannot take a little beating. When he found out about this incident, he grew curious about the village and decided to conquer it and label it as part of Hyoutei territory."

"Wah! That mole king!" Horio pumped his fists. "Everyone in Nihon-koku knows Hyotei's got the largest lands, and greater open and hilly landscapes than most territories!"

"Now, now Horio-kun! It's not nice to call one of the Four Pillars mole king, nya." Eiji was attempting to look stern, but his face betrayed him.

"As I was saying, this village is an independent one, and though it lies on Seigaku's territory, we cannot make a claim on it since its land is its own and the people stubbornly refuse to admit any authority coming from the Four Great Nations. But while Fudomine can be an immovable rock, Hyoutei can become an unstoppable force. And really, what can this little village do against such a big nation?"

"I don't get it!" Horio could not help but blink, wondering where this was going. "What's all of this got to do with _us_?"

"Ah, you see, at the time they need it the most, help has arrived for Fudomine in a most unlikely manner."

"Eh? Wait, don't tell me!" Horio crossed his arms and grinned at them. This is where his two years experience of working in the palace would come in handy! "Lord Tezuka suddenly appeared and negotiated with mole king. As a token of their gratitude, they handed over the fairest girl in the village and offered her as bridal candidate for the Lord. I'm right, yeah?"

Pregnant silence.

"Um, not by a long shot." Oishi answered, beginning to think that there is something really wrong with this person's way of thinking. Maybe sending him to Inui would cure him… Or not.

"Nya, you read too much cliché adventure novels!" The cat boy taunted good-naturedly, now laughing loudly on the floor.

The embarrassed (humiliated to pieces) page merely reddened (turned to an abnormal shade of red) again and tried to comfort himself. "T-That was just a guess. And I wasn't really serious! Ahahaha!"

"As I was saying, something unexpected happened: Momo, who happened to be passing by, came to the rescue and intervened in what could've been a bloody battle." Oishi then stopped for a moment, lost in thought. "Or at least, that's what it would be for Fudomine."

"HA???" Horio's voice could be heard all the way to the Rikkai Dai borders by now. "MOMO-SAN???"

"Why are you so surprised?" Oishi asked with a laugh.

"After that, nya, Momo defended Fudomine and Hyoutei backed off!" Eiji stated with a flourish.

"Um, no," Oishi pushed Eiji away to continue with his long explanation. "Momo fought, yes, but he was not left uninjured. After a while though, Atobe left because he probably decided that it would not do any good to provoke a possible war with Seigaku by attacking a respected Ace. Besides, I heard that Atobe and Lord Tezuka would be signing a peace treaty together with the other nations, so I suppose that that was another factor as well. All in all, the cons outweighed the pros so Atobe retreated. Besides, Fudomine is a small village, with relatively little to offer. Hyoutei wouldn't gain much from them."

"So what's Lady Tachibana doing here?" Horio jerked a thumb over the girl's sleeping quarters.

"Oh, Lady Tachibana is the village leader's little sister and she insisted on going to Seigaku to train in becoming a court lady," Oishi clarified for Horio. "It's quite a good thing actually. We now have Fudomine's alliance!

"Wow, Momo-san is really an amazing Ace…"

"Well, yeah, he is really something!" The Magician of the Moon said, pride evident on his face. When he first heard of the Fudomine incident, he was worried, but then he realized that Momo handled it pretty well and he only grew prouder of his fellow Ace's accomplishment.

Eiji bounced happily towards Horio. "Actually, he is on quest with Ochibi right now!"

Horio nodded vigorously. "Ah, I see. What a hardworking guy!"

_Wait._

Ochibi=Ryoma

Ryoma=Quest

Quest=Long journey

Long journey=Needs a page boy

Page boy=Horio

Horio=**LEFT BACK IN THE CASTLE???**

If there was one thing that Horio doesn't have, then it would probably be vocal restraint.

"_**WHY RYOMAAAAAAAA???!!!!!**_" A wail of despair echoed throughout the entire land of Seigaku.

:-:-:-:

White fluttering flakes fly, swirling freely with the northern breeze. It is always winter in this town. No one knows why, it just is. She patiently waits for a frozen snowdrop to fall upon her open palm, but she shivers and quickly closes the windows.

She wasn't surprised to see a finely dressed man, along with two other people who are probably his servants, knocking on their doorstep. She then _knew_. He was there to see her grandma.

Ryuuzaki Sakuno lived in an old house on the outskirts of the town. The fields opposite were empty and fallow. There was a time when Sakuno thought that she would see ravine grassy banks, like the ones that were described in her books. The entire field would be stained with green and gold, and a season other than General Winter would make its presence known. Those days already passed, as he came to accept that the only thing she would see in this village is snow, _snow_, _**snow**_.

"I am looking for the Seer."

Sakuno smiled. Even after all these years, people in the land still call her grandmother that title.

"Please follow me." Sakuno told the man after giving a polite and graceful bow. After sliding the door shut, the auburn haired girl quietly led the three men to the receiving room.

The attendants of the man fell back when they reached deeper in the house. Sakuno suspected that they were simply practicing courtesy. Servants could come only if they were invited, and the man didn't even spare his servants a glance as a sign of permission. They continued walking to the sitting room, which had two rows of cushions, one along each side of the room. Her grandmother was already perched on one of the cushions, calmly sipping tea. The room was much too wide for four or five people, and the space between the two rows of cushions was wide. They had to speak loudly to be heard. But the man's clear, deep voice carried perfectly across the room.

"I do not come to you because you are wise," the man spoke suddenly, not even bothering to sit on the cushion.

'_How rude_!' Sakuno thought with disdain. All of the guests that she had encountered spoke to her grandmother with such respect that it took her by surprise that this man had the sheer audacity to start a conversation in such a discourteous manner.

Sumire merely listened.

"I come to you because you are the Seer," he continued. "My name is none of your concern, but I shall introduce myself as the Lord of the Winter Fair. Ah, but you know that of course."

"Why of course, lad," said Sumire, a sly smile plastered on her visage. This particular womancarried a commanding air in her stature, as well as with the alertness of her stance. Highly respected, rightfully feared and educated above ordinary people. That was what she once was, and it looks like she was not ready yet to make anyone forget about that fact any soon.

The man did not look amused that Sumire had just called him a 'lad.' A frown marred his callous face. "They tell me that when you were a child, you found a lost infant who had wondered far from her mother by staring at a puddle; when you were a maiden, you guided the legendary Samurai and supplied him with endless knowledge during the Invasions. Seer Sumire," he stopped for a second and looked directly at Sakuno's grandmother. "what is taking the forest folk? Next year there will be no Winter Fair. The travellers from other kingdom have grown scarce and few, the folk of the forest are almost gone. Another year like the last, and we shall all starve."

There were, as the Lord has already stated, people in the forest. Unbelievable but true. They would come out, some of them, for the Winter Fair: a greedy, feral, dangerous people. They would creep out of the forest each year for the Winter Fair in this little village where the snow would not melt. Most of the stallholders are afraid of them- they would painstakingly nail their wares to keep the forest folk from running away and taking their goods. The forest folk have money though, and when they have nothing else to give, they would begrudgingly exchange gold for a piece of bread. And so the Winter Fair continued.

"Well then, Sakuno," came Sumire's usual friendly tone. "You would not mind if you would do a summoning right now?"

"N-now...?" The color on the younger girl's cheeks became scarlet. "Your looking glass, right? But grandma, I can't do it-"

"Now," repeated Sumire.

Sakuno gulped, feeling uneasy as her stomach began to tighten. Unlike her grandmother, she was not gifted with Magus Powers, and her gift, if she even has any, was only limited to simple summoning and blurred visions. Despite that, she did what her grandmother told her, and reached down towards the ground. As she did so, her bare hands and arms became encased with crystals. The Lord of the Winter Fair could only stare in bewilderment as the girl muttered incomprehensible words while pulling out an object from the ground obscured by the bright light. Finally, the crystals shattered and Sakuno shakily presented to her audience a simple silver-backed glass mirror.

"Good job, Sakuno!" Sumire was beaming at her granddaughter. "Now kindly retire to your room and take a rest."

"But I'm not-" Before the pigtailed girl could protest, the older woman gave her a look and at that instant, Sakuno realized that the summoning stunt she did was only a cover-up so she can quietly exit the room without a fuss. "I mean, of course grandma. If that is what you wish."

As soon as Sakuno was outside, a chill threaded its way down her spine. Whatever her grandmother and that man were talking about, it could only be serious business. Her grandma had never sent her out during a meeting with a guest before. Usually, she would even insist that Sakuno stays.

But then, a goofy smile formed on her face.

She actually performed a summoning right! And right in front of a stranger no less! There was a sense of accomplishment bubbling inside Sakuno right now. She stared at her hands, feeling giddy. If she could do a summoning properly, then maybe she could make sense of her visions.

As if on cue, her cheeks grew warm.

Everytime her mind would wonder off to her visions, she would immediately see a figure of a boy. She would always be standing opposite of him- so close, and yet so far away. Her heart would beat faster, almost as if anticipating an inevitable meeting. She could not identify him, and he was constantly covered in an impenetrable mist in her visions that it was nearly impossible to find any of this mysterious boy's distinguishable physical traits. Oh, except for one thing.

His golden irises.

Ah, but that vision is… _improper_, to say the least. Sakuno's cheeks burned as she hugged her pillow. Why is it that everytime she tries to make a vision, _that _boy appears?

Maybe it has something to do with the future.

Sakuno hopes so.

:-:-:-:

In the crystalline palace of Seigaku's capital, Lord Tezuka's head snapped back, his eyes wide. "What was that?" he asked himself. There had been a surge of something, some unknown power that had hit his senses without warning and sent him reeling from the force of it.

"Saa, probably that new page boy's bloodcurdling scream," replied his companion.

"Fuji…" Kunimitsu Tezuka sometimes wondered how he could stand the mage. They were good friends, but the perpetually-smiling mage would always find a way to test his sanity during the most inappropriate times. He then decided at that moment that he is far kinder than he ought to be.

"Oh, but Tezuka," said Fuji casually. "I felt that too. There could be no doubt that there was a certain magical force that surfaced for a brief moment."

"Monster attacks have been increasing, not only here in Seigaku, but also in the other nations as well…" Tezuka murmured, turning around and moving quickly across the room. The fact that he couldn't read the direction of this power was a warning sign already. "This could only mean one thing, Fuji."

The tensai of the Aces opened his eyes, revealing his brilliant blue orbs. "So she is finally starting to awaken."

:-:-:-:

**Rose Princess (Bara Hime)-** an immortal born in the land of mortals. Nanjiroh, a hero from the land of Seigaku, once encountered her incomplete form and put her back to sleep. He then went on to warn his people that she would come back and seek vengeance once she fully awakens

**Nihon-koku**- the name given to the World

**Seigaku**- one of the Four Great Nations, and currently the strongest, thanks to the return of Nanjiroh's son Ryoma

**Ace**- a title given to the most capable fighters and mages of the land. Their abilities are extraordinary, and all of those who are given this title would be rewarded by the kingdom until their death

**High Court**- group of people who run the state. Includes the Aces.

**Tennis**- a style of magic only powerful magicians can employ

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OMG AM I GAY OR WHUT??? Yes, flame me because I made tennis some kind of lame magic.

I have written this last year, and I'm just posting it now because... BECAUSE. ^^

I wrote this because I want to. I don't care even if it's grammatically wrong or if the fic sucks; I'm just having fun people! I'm not trying to make an impact okay? I'm just trying to vent my frustrations cause I haven't improved in writing after all these years. Now I'm feeding you a crappy story because I feel like it. _ssfddasfdsafsdafsadfsdhjhlkhlkhlkjhljkhlkjhkljh._ You can hate me for making the characters OOC, but at least I warned you guys. There are **Neil Gaiman** references everywhere in my story if you squint your eyes. Serious props to those who know of **Umineko** too. And yesh, I created a magical world where there are monsters and even if it looks medieval, there are still Ponta juices/wines. So cheers to me for ruining everything that made POT great.

I might continue this. Or I might not. I'm notorious for not finishing my stories. –gets flamed-

I am looking for constructive criticisms desu~ I shall reply, yes I will desu~


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